WALES should have its own legal system that is accountable to the population, MP and barrister Elfyn Llwyd has argued.

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader said it was time to stop treating Wales as a poor relation – but the Wales Office said the current system had served the nation well for centuries.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Mr Llwyd said Wales was the only country in the world that had a legislature, but no legal jurisdiction of its own.

England and Wales had since 1536 shared basic laws, courts systems and legal professions, but centuries later, the UK’s constitutional landscape had changed almost beyond recognition.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland operated successful systems without being tied to England, he said.

And the comprehensive victory in last year’s referendum showed the majority of Welsh voters believed Cardiff, not Westminster, should be the home of the decisions which affected their day-to-day lives.

“One of the main arguments for establishing a jurisdiction for Wales is the issue of responsibility,” Mr Llwyd said.

“If we are to have a system that is truly accountable to the nation’s population, that system must be wholly responsible for its actions, rather than having a scapegoat in the form of Westminster.

“Under the current antiquated system, laws made in Wales can be deemed illegal by high courts in England.

“What sense is there in Welsh laws being scrutinised in London courts when what is being looked there at bears no relevance whatsoever to England?”

The MP said that the anomaly of Wales being the only nation on earth with no jurisdiction of its own showed how it had been neglected as England’s poor relation within the British context.

He said the subject was becoming less controversial, despite the fact there was much work to be done and there would be complications.

“The current system goes against the natural path to our nation’s development. As devolution progresses as a result of the referendum and the attitudes of the electorate, the system in its current form leaves Wales stagnant.

“The absence of a Welsh jurisdiction means that the current constitutional settlement remains incomplete: only through changing this can we create a Welsh system, designed in Wales, by the Welsh people, to serve all the people of this nation.”

Mr Llwyd said the Conservatives’ willingness “to accept this antiquated system shows laziness and lack of ambition” and he accused First Minister Carwyn Jones of “inaction and lack of vision”.

Plaid would expect to make the case for a separate legal jurisdiction during the second phase of the Silk Commission which is currently looking at financial powers and devolution.

A Wales Office spokesperson said: “The Welsh Government published its consultation on a separate Welsh legal jurisdiction on 27 March.

“The current system for England and Wales has served Wales well for centuries and we look forward to seeing the outcome of the consultation exercise.”